


The Shuttle

by crystalfox



Series: Timeslips [3]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: AU, Gen, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-10
Updated: 2018-01-10
Packaged: 2019-03-03 03:20:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13332390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crystalfox/pseuds/crystalfox
Summary: Lando has a rough evening and Padme muses on her situation.





	The Shuttle

**Author's Note:**

> Part of 'Timeslips' - Strange happenings across the galaxy, through time and not just space. People are falling into little timeslips, allowing them to travel backwards, forwards, up, down, and sideways through time without realising it.
> 
> Please see series page for more info/notes.

Lando had been in a triumphant mood, having secured a rather excellent deal for Cloud City after a particularly tricky meeting on a neighbouring planet. After the Empire fell, he had gone back to being Baron-Administrator and was working hard to bring in more money so that the citizens of Cloud City could have better lives. That evening had proved particularly fruitful and he decided to take a walk into the main part of the city and perhaps enjoy the nightlife as a reward.

It was a fairly standard city - brightly lit bars, busy dim cantinas, lively crowds - and Lando wandered through the neon-lit streets, letting his mind relax after the tense events of the earlier deal making. He was not really paying that much attention to his surroundings, so it shouldn’t have been too much of a surprise when he was dragged into a dingy alley at knifepoint. 

 _Who even uses a knife anymore?_ he thought to himself angrily, as the sharp blade pressed against his neck. His hand inched lower to the blaster in the holster on his hip but strong hands grabbed his before he could reach it, pulling his arms roughly behind his back. 

“Ok, ok, fellas, let’s not do anything hasty! I’m a Baron-Administrator, I can get you anything you like.” He spoke quickly and as calmly as possible, hoping they were rational thieves. 

There were three of them, one holding his arms, another with the knife to his neck, and the third was holding his blaster in one hand and patting him down with the other. He didn’t recognise what they were, all green with red freckles and bald heads, wearing leather robes.

“Money!” The one holding the blaster, who Lando decided was the leader, snarled at him, spittle landing on Lando’s chin. _Lovely,_  Lando resisted the urge to shudder. 

“In my pocket, I’ve got credits but no cards. That and my blaster is everything.” He only carried credits when he went off Bespin, it was safer.

The leader grabbed Lando’s wallet and stuffed it in a pocket of his robes. He eyed the blaster again and looked Lando up and down carefully, trying to check if Lando was lying and had anything hidden somewhere else. He seemed to feel satisfied that credits and a blaster was all he was going to get but his gaze paused on the gold clasp at Lando’s neck. 

“Take this,” he tugged on Lando’s expensive dark blue silk cape, “then we go. Leave him.” 

 _Not the cape_ , Lando thought morosely as the thieves pulled the cape off him. It was a beautiful one, lined with a deep green velvet that was flecked with gold thread, handmade on a Mid Rim planet famous for its weaving. Lando scowled as the leader wrapped the cape around himself. One of his cronies punched Lando in the stomach and they disappeared as fast as they had appeared. 

“Dammit.” Lando muttered to himself as he groaned and stood up gently. He clutched his bruised midsection and decided it was time to go home. Waiting until he was absolutely sure they’d gone, he reached down, wincing in pain, to his left boot. Leaning against the damp wall of the alley, he took the shoe off, pulling out an emergency stash of credits and the docking card for his ship. He may have let his guard down enough to get robbed but he wasn’t stupid, he always kept the essentials in his boot, very few, if any, potential thieves would bother to check there. Checking the credits, he worked out he would have enough to pay for a private shuttle back to the dock where his ship was. 

Shuffling out of the alley, he walked slowly back the way he came and towards the shuttle stand. 

——

Padme shifted slightly on her uncomfortable seat in the private shuttle shelter, which was open at two ends, the noise from the busy streets floated up and the crisp, night air flowed through. Opposite her was the small open doorway to enter the shuttles but there were currently none at the stand, she glanced up at the time strip on the wall, the next shuttle was due in 9 minutes and there was another two minutes after that one. She sighed, shifting again and wishing for the time to go quicker. 

Padme had come to this particular city on this particular planet for an appointment. She had chosen this specific location because no-one knew her here, she needed to be anonymous. She had felt extremely nervous coming here by herself but it was necessary, she had to find out in secret whether or not she was actually pregnant. The results were positive, she _was_ pregnant. She couldn’t wait to tell Anakin and she felt a pang of sadness that he hadn’t been with her. But she had to know as soon as possible, she didn’t have the time to wait for him. 

As excited as she was to tell him, she also anxious for the future - for Anakin and for her unborn baby. Recently, she felt that all she did was worry about Anakin, worry about the future, worry about her work. The medic had urged her to avoid stress but she couldn’t help but feel uneasy. 

Taking a deep breath, she tried to clear her mind but she was interrupted by a man staggering into the stand and slumping down heavily on a seat near her. He moaned weakly and rubbed his stomach. She noticed he was underdressed for such a chilly evening. He was wearing a well-made pale grey shirt and tailored trousers, with ornate black and silver boots, but no cape or coat. Looking closer, she noticed he was somewhat disheveled. 

”Are you alright?” She questioned gently, turning marginally in her seat to face him.

He lifted his hand in a gesture of thanks for her concern, “Rough night, I met some unfriendly locals.” He gazed at the beautiful young woman in expensive clothes. She was lovely but there was a tiredness and anxiety in her eyes which spoke of a wisdom beyond her years. Despite the fine clothes, it was clear she was a fighter, there was a tenseness in her posture which conveyed she was used to being on high alert.

”Did they hurt you?” 

“Just a well placed punch, they took most of my credits, my blaster and most importantly an extremely expensive Lumian cape. But really, it’s just my pride that’s hurt.”

Padme winced in sympathy, “You should contact the -“

”No point,” Lando interrupted, shaking his head, “they’ll be long gone and I have a good friend on Lumia who owes me a favour so I’m sure I can get another one.” He smirked tiredly.

Padme nodded and paused for a moment, and sensing he wanted to take his mind off the robbery she said lightly, “You have very good taste in clothes, Lumian weavers are very talented.” 

“Some of the best in the galaxy.” Lando shifted into a more comfortable position and looked steadily at the woman. “That’s from Dionia, isn’t it?” He gestured to her dark purple cape with its tiny yellow stars embroidered on the hem, lined with a soft cream coloured silk, as Padme nodded. “I have a similar one in grey.”

”Very nice. Do you just enjoy fashion or is it your business?” 

“Ah, no, it’s just my passion, I’m actually a Baron-Administrator. That’s why I was here, for a meeting.” Seeing Padme tilt her head in interest, he continued. “I got a great deal for my city, it’s going to bring in a lot more money for medical facilities, schools, new homes - I really want it to be a good place to live. I’ve got big plans - a university, training schools for mining - it’s a lot of work but- sorry, I’m rambling.”

”No, no, I know how _very_ hard it can be and it’s very good you’re so passionate about helping your citizens. I can tell you’re good at your job.”

”I’m trying to be. To...uh,..make up for past mistakes.” Not meeting her eyes, he said it airily, as though he was joking but Padme got the sense he felt guilty about something, something that maybe he should no longer feel guilty for. He was clearly working hard to overcompensate for his possibly misplaced guilt.

She studied him silently, wondering what it was that made him want to work so hard for other people.

“This your line of work too?” He didn’t recognise her as a local administrator, and he knew most of them. But he could tell she was in an important job, he’d always been good at reading people and he could tell she was a hard-worker, confident in her abilities. She had a precise, intelligent way of speaking and Lando guessed she was a persuasive public speaker.

”Pardon?” Lando noticed she had drifted off slightly, looking off into the distance, a small frown gracing her face. She was worrying about something.

”You said you knew it was hard work, being an administrator so I was wondering if you were one? Or at least in a job involving people.”

Padme glanced away, considering her answer, ”Something like that.”

Lando realised she didn’t want to talk about work, and the way she had stressed the word _very_  when talking about working probably indicated she was stressed out. So he just nodded and smiled.

“I know there are...certain _hardships_ when you do jobs like this but getting robbed shouldn’t be one of them.” Padme confirmed Lando’s guess when she changed the subject subtly, he could almost hear the worry in the word ‘hardships’. “You really should report it.”

Lando shrugged, “Like I said, there’s no point and besides, I’ve had worse.” He winked at her. “And your beautiful presence has eased my pain to almost nothing.”

Padme gave a wry, half-smile. The man was a smooth talker but it didn’t annoy her like it usually did, there was a friendliness and respect to his tone that most men did not have.

“ _Almost_  nothing?” She said sweetly. “I am disappointed.” 

Lando opened his mouth to say something but he was cut off by the monotone beep announcing the arrival of the next shuttle. _1 minute._

“Well, it was lovely talking to you. I’m Lando, by the way.” He looked at her, the unspoken question of her name in the air. 

“Sabe.” She felt a twinge of guilt about lying about her name but no-one could know she was here. “And you take the next shuttle. After your experience, I insist.”

”No, please -“

Padme held up her hand in an imperious way that she had mastered during her time as Queen. “Take the shuttle, go home and get some rest.” She reached into her soft, square black bag at her feet. “Oh, and take this. I always carry a spare one.” 

She handed over a neatly folded, thick square of red fabric. Lando unfolded it carefully to reveal a long ruby Lumian cape, with a cream inlay and trimmed with soft black satin. 

His eyes widened in appreciation, “I can’t accept this, it’s gorgeous but it’s -“

Once again, a small but insistent raised hand stopped him from speaking. “It will suit you perfectly. And look, your shuttle is here. Have you enough money to get to where you need to go?”

Lando figured there was no point arguing with Sabe, she seemed like the kind of person who would not be challenged easily. 

He looked at her meaningfully, hoping to convey his gratitude for such a beautiful gift. “ _Thank you._  This is extremely generous. I won’t forget this.” He would, of course, forget, but he didn’t know that.

”It’s nothing really, I am extremely privileged to have many beautiful ones. It’s nice to be able to share one with someone who appreciates it.” 

There was a low beep from the shuttle in an attempt to hurry him. 

“Take care. I mean, of yourself. You seem...anxious, if you don’t mind me saying.” Padme frowned at his words, wondering if it was that obvious. “Just don’t forget yourself when you’re helping all those people.”

”I’ll...” For the first time, she seemed lost for words. “I’ll try.”

Lando nodded and smiled at her before turning towards the shuttle. 

“Lando?” He stopped and looked at her over his shoulder. “Whatever mistake you’re trying to make up for, don’t let yourself feel guilty forever. You have to move forward and forgive yourself at some point.”

Lando exhaled softly, “That’s good advice, thanks. It really was nice to meet you.” He turned and boarded the shuttle. 

——

Inside he watched Sabe for as long as possible as the shuttle flew away. He wondered what pressures she faced, why she was so worried and tense. He hoped she found some peace, it was like she had the weight of the galaxy on her shoulders. 

He also thought about what she had said to him. He still felt guilty about his betrayal of his friends to the Empire. It was always there, at the back of his mind, causing him to overwork in an attempt to prove he was a good person. But who was he trying to prove himself too? His friends had forgiven him, they had understood that he had no choice but to try and protect his citizens. When he thought about it, he was the only one who was still thought about it. Sabe was right, he needed to work past it, to move on, to forgive himself. 

——

As Lando’s shuttle left, Padme pondered what it was that Lando felt guilty for. She sensed he was a decent man so she couldn’t imagine it was anything terrible. After all, if he was a terrible person, he wouldn’t feel guilty at all.

She hoped he enjoyed the cape, it was nice to share her love of fashion with someone who had such style. Idly, she let her mind wander, possibilities twisting and turning in her imagination. What would it be like to have a less pressured job, like a Baron-Administrator, and to be with a man like Lando who she had more in common with. Would she be less anxious? Would she be happier? She adored Anakin but they were very different and their jobs were so stressful, would they have been happier if they had never met? 

It was pointless to think about such things and she pushed it out of her mind. She had the life she did with a man she loved. She would try to do what Lando said, take care of herself more. Obviously, in doing so that meant Anakin and the baby too. Yes, things would be less stressful if, just for the next few months, she focused solely on herself and her little family. Things would get better, they had too. 

——

Later, their memories of the shuttle stand vanished, Lando forgot where he picked up such a gorgeous cape, and Padme forgot where hers went. All that was left was a subtle push to follow the advice they had received, which they used in different ways. Neither ever used that shuttle stand again, in fact, nobody did. 

**Author's Note:**

> I'm a new writer. Feedback/comments/constructive criticism welcome!


End file.
